The Cape Winelands are only about 45 minute to one hours drive from the centre of Cape Town. The Cape Winelands can be visited as a stand alone holiday destination or as a days trip away from Cape Town.
- South African Wines are some of the most respected in the world, wine making in South Africa goes back to Jan van Riebeeck
- The Franschhoek, Paarl and Stellenbosch Valleys are some of the prettiest areas in South Africa. Combine this with lovely original Cape Dutch Architecture and its no surprise that its one of the most popular areas to visit in South Africa
- Eat and drink like Kings and Queens. There are many wonderful restaurants to choose from in the Winelands and of course savour the award wining wines.
The trick to exploring the Cape Town Winelands is not to hurry. There are so many things to see and do. From wine tasting, olive tasting, cheese farms, horseriding, quadbiking, mountain hiking, grape stomping, health spas, antique shopping, jewellery shopping and pottery studios. Many guests travel here for the day from Cape Town whilst others will spend up to 2 or 3 nights simply absorbing the atmosphere and spending the time in any one of the beautiful boutique guesthouses and hotels.
Cape Town is in our opinion one of the most beautiful destinations in Africa. The close proximity it has to the beaches and mountains, make it a truly unique holiday destination. Long summers in the southern hemisphere mean that its popular as a place to escape to during the long northern winters. Early sunrises and late sunsets mean that you can seemingly pack so much more into your day.
The Cape Winelands are very close to Cape Town and therefore it will come as no surprise that visitors to Cape Town will often include a few days holiday in the winelands, relaxing, wine tasting, soaking up the scenery and visiting the beautiful towns of
Franschhoek,
Paarl and
Stellenbosch.
A well known wine critic for the New York Times, wrote that he harboured a "nagging suspicions that great wines must be made in spectacular surrounding" and nowhere is this more evident than in the Cape Winelands.
The Cape Winelands, in direct contrast to the cosmopolitan vibe of Cape Town, really gives you the feeling as if you are in the country. Walk amongst the vines, take a drive to across the Helshoogte Pass to admire the views, wine taste, savour cheeses at the Fairview Farm or stop at any number of the beautiful wine estates to admire the original Cape Dutch architecture.
The towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek are pretty and interesting. Second to Cape Town, these were some of the first towns to be developed in South Africa. The towns are full of heritage and history dating back to the late 1600’s. Enjoy the oak lined streets of Stellenbosch, or the originally French named Streets of Franschhoek, or the extremely long high street of Paarl.
